Advent #1: The Impossible Becomes Possible

A short series in Advent focusing on a few significant snapshots of the Christmas story and the amazing gifts they reveal.

What are you facing today that seems impossible?

Health issues?

An imploding marriage?

Financial struggles?

Emotional upheaval?

A loved one’s or your own imminent death?

Photo Credit: Cary & Kacey Jordan

We all go through challenges.  No they don’t all look alike. And for some they’re certainly more severe. But none of us get through this life unscathed.

So the question isn’t if we’ll face struggles but how?

Sometimes we try to bury them in ever more activity.

Sometimes we try to anesthetize ourselves to forget about them.

Sometimes we try to ignore them hoping for the best.

Yet the problems still remain often growing worse.  And they catch us by surprise when we’re least expecting it. And the results can be far worse because we didn’t deal with them.

This is what I love about Advent though. It reminds us of when the impossible became possible.

And encourages us it can happen again.

We pick up the story as the angel is telling Mary that though she is a virgin she will miraculously have a child. And he will be the long awaited Messiah.

Now I imagine she might just have had a smidgen of doubt. So the angel tells her of a miracle that just occurred with her cousin Elizabeth.

“Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.”

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” (Luke 1: 36-38 NIV)

A couple of things I want you to see.

First, Mary isn’t trying to whip up some artificial faith. She simply trusts in what the angel promised. Frankly, if we can just have that much faith it’s enough to unleash the miracle working power of God in our lives.

Second, the promise he gives her and us is nothing short of amazing when he says, “Nothing is impossible with God.”
No matter what you face today nothing is impossible.

Your health, your finances, your marriage, your job, your family, your emotions, your mortality. Nothing is impossible with God.

And one other thing that I find absolutely marvelous. When our faith lacks God even comes along side and encourages us to help us have enough.

So I hope as you celebrate this Christmas season you simply remember this.

Your impossible is God’s possible.

When have you seen God do the impossible in your life?